Manchester City are still unbeaten in the Premier League, but only by the very slimmest of margins. Joe Hart was the clear man of the match for his side against Liverpool, as they survived a late onslaught to clinch a point in a 1-1 draw. Liverpool's one goal was a completely unsavable own goal by Joleon Lescott as Joe Hart was absolutely flawless, making a number of world-class saves.
Liverpool Vs. Manchester City, 2011 Premier League: Full Time, Citizens Squeak Out A Point
City scored the opening goal in the 31st minute, with Vincent Kompany scoring on a brilliant header. David Silva delivered the set piece into the box for Kompany, who did well to rise above Dirk Kuyt and place a header into the back of the net at the far post.
Their lead did not last long, as Lescott gifted Liverpool an equalizer. On a shot by Charlie Adam that was either going just wide of the post or going to be easily saved by Hart, Lescott stuck out his foot and deflected the ball into the back of the net, just 90 seconds after City had taken the lead. Both teams continued to attack throughout the first half, but went into halftime without any further scoring.
While the first half was very even, Liverpool were the better side for almost the entirety of the second half. Shots were even with possession leaning towards City in the first half, but Liverpool finished the match with 10 more shots on the game and a majority of the possession. The Reds managed six shots on target, all of which were saved by Hart.
Sensing he needed a more athletic player in the game against a fast and physical Liverpool side, Roberto Mancini brought on Mario Balotelli for Samir Nasri in the 65th minute. It took very little time for that move to backfire, as it was the childish and immature Balotelli that showed up on the day. He picked up his first booking for pulling down Glen Johnson in the 77th minute, then was sent off for a forearm into the face of Martin Skrtel in the 83rd minute. It was an absolutely shocking performance, but at the same time, hardly out of the ordinary.
With 10 men for the remainder of the match, City faced an absolute onslaught from Liverpool as they pumped crosses and shots into the box, over and over again for the final 10 minutes of the match. Having already made a number of solid saves earlier on, Joe Hart saved his best work for last, making an absolutely stunning save on Andy Carroll in the third minute of stoppage time, then saving Luis Suarez's attempt on the rebound less than five seconds later to preserve a point for his side.
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